17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca"

The 17th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" () is an air defense regiment of the Italian Army. Originally an artillery regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment fought on the Italian front in World War I, and was assigned in World War II to the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca", with which the regiment was deployed to the Eastern Front, where division and regiment were destroyed during the Red Army's Operation Little Saturn. In 1947, the Italian Army reformed the regiment and, on 1 July 1953, the regiment was transferred from the field artillery to the anti-aircraft specialty. Today the regiment is based in Sabaudia in Lazio and assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command. The regiment's batteries are equipped with Skyguard surface-to-air missile systems respectively Stinger man-portable air-defense systems. The regiment's anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.

History On 1 November 1888, the Royal Italian Army formed the 17th Field Artillery Regiment in Novara. The new regiment consisted of eight batteries and one train company ceded by the 5th Field Artillery Regiment. The ceded batteries had participated in the First, the Second, the Sardinian campaign in central and Southern Italy in 1860–61, and the Third Italian War of Independence.

In 1895–96, the regiment formed the 1st Mountain Artillery battery for the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The battery deployed to Eritrea and fought in the Battle of Adwa. The regiment also provided 139 troops for other units deployed to East Africa for the war. In 1911–12, the regiment provided one group command and two batteries for the Italo-Turkish War. The regiment also provided 235 troops to augment other units deployed for the war.

On 29 February 1912, the regiment ceded its III Group, which consisted of three batteries, to help form the 25th Field Artillery Regiment, and in April of the same year the regiment provided personnel to help form the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment.

World War I At the outbreak of World War I the regiment was assigned, together with the Brigade "Como" and Brigade "Umbria", to the 2nd Division. At the time the regiment consisted of a command, three groups with a combined eight batteries equipped with 75/27 mod. 06 field guns, and a depot. In May 1915, the regiment formed with its reserve personnel one group of three batteries for the 41st Field Artillery. During the war the regiment's depot in Novara formed the command of the 14th Heavy Field Artillery Grouping, the commands of the X, XIII, XVII, XXXVIII, and CII heavy field howitzer groups, 17 heavy field howitzer batteries, and two siege batteries. In 1915, the regiment fought in the Dolomites on the Sass de Stria, Col di Lana, Monte Piana and at Schluderbach. From 5 to 13 September 1916, the regiment fought on the flanks of the Lagazuoi mountain on the Forcella Travenanzes. In August and September 1917, during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo, the regiment fought on Monte Santo and on Škabrijel. In November 1917, after the Italian defeat in the Battle of Caporetto and the following Italian retreat to the Piave river, the regiment defended the bridge over the Piave at Vidor. In June 1918, during the Second Battle of the Piave River, the regiment fought at Monastier and Fossalta. In October of the same year the regiment was again at Monastier during the Battle of Vittorio Veneto.

In 1920, the regiment moved from Novara to the newly annexed Monfalcone, where it remained only for one year before returning in 1921 to Novara. In 1926, the regiment was assigned to the 2nd Territorial Division of Novara. At the time the regiment consisted of a command, a group with 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers, two groups with 75/27 mod. 11 field guns, a group with mule-carried 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns, and a depot. In 1934, the 2nd Territorial Division of Novara was renamed 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" and consequently, the regiment was renamed 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca". In 1935–36, the regiment provided eight officers and 150 enlisted to augment units deployed to East Africa for the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.

On 1 September 1939, the regiment's depot in Novara reformed the 59th Artillery Regiment "Cagliari" for the 59th Infantry Division "Cagliari". Two days later, on 3 September 1939, the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" ceded one of its 75/27 mod. 11 groups to help reform the 36th Artillery Regiment "Forlì" for the 36th Infantry Division "Forlì".

World War II

On 10 June 1940, the day Italy entered World War II, the regiment consisted of a command, a command unit, a group with horse-drawn 100/17 mod. 14 howitzers, two groups with mule-carried 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns, and an anti-aircraft battery with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns.

The June 1940, the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca", which also included the 53rd Infantry Regiment "Sforzesca" and 54th Infantry Regiment "Sforzesca", participated in the Italian invasion of France. In January 1941, the division was sent to Albania to reinforce the crumbling Italian front in the Greco-Italian War. The division entered the front on 28 January and remained in heavy defensive fighting until 28 February. On 9 March 1941, the Italians began their spring offensive and the Sforzesca division advanced towards Bregu i Buzit. After the Battle of Greece the Sforzesca division remained on occupation duty in Greece until the middle of July 1941.

For its conduct and service on the Greek front from 13 February to 17 April 1941 the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag.

In spring 1942, the Sforzesca division was assigned to the Italian 8th Army, which was readied to be deployed in summer 1942 to the Eastern Front. Consequently, in April 1942, the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was reorganized in preparation for the division's deployment to the Eastern Front: on 10 April the regiment's depot in Novara formed the command and command unit of the 117th Artillery Regiment "Rovigo" for the 105th Infantry Division "Rovigo" and on 15 April the command and command unit of the 159th Artillery Regiment "Veneto" for the 159th Infantry Division "Veneto". The 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" then transferred its two groups with 75/13 mod. 15 mountain guns to the 159th Artillery Regiment "Veneto", which on 7 May 1942 ceded them to the 117th Artillery Regiment "Rovigo". As replacement the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" received two groups with 75/18 mod. 35 howitzers, one of which arrived from the 108th Artillery Regiment "Cosseria", and a group with 105/28 cannons, which was transferred from the 1st Army Corps Artillery Regiment. The Sforzesca also formed a new anti-aircraft battery with 20/65 mod. 35 anti-aircraft guns.

In June 1942, the Sforzesca division arrived in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in Ukraine, where it was assigned to the XXXV Army Corps. After arriving in the Soviet Union the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" also received the 70th Anti-tank Battery with 75/39 anti-tank guns. In July 1942, the division participated in the capture of Khrustalnyi in Luhansk Oblast. In early August 1942, the division established a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Don river and advanced along the Khopyor river to the village of Yarskoy 1-y. On 12 August 1942, the Sforzesca division was attacked by the Soviet 63rd Army, which consisted of the 197th Rifle Division, 203rd Rifle Division and 14th Guards Rifle Division. The Sforzesca division was forced give up the bridgehead and fall back to the villages of Yagodnyi and Chebotarevskii to the South of the Don river. While Chebotarevskii was overrun by Red Army forces, Yagodnyi held and on 21 August the remaining Italian troops counterattacked. On 24 August, the stronghold at Yagodnyi had run out of ammunition, but the Italian troops there were saved by the arrival of the 3rd Bersaglieri Regiment and 6th Bersaglieri Regiment of the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta" and the German 79th Infantry Division.

For its conduct and service at Yagodnyi between 17 and 31 August 1942 the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was awarded a Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag.

On 12 December 1942, Soviet forces began Operation Little Saturn during which the Sforzesca division was annihilated. On 1 January 1943, the few survivors of the division reached the new Axis lines at Belaya Kalitva. In March 1943, the division's remnants were repatriated and the few remaining troops of the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" were assigned to the 157th Artillery Regiment "Novara" of the 157th Infantry Division "Novara". On 1 June 1943, the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" and its units were reformed by renaming the 157th Infantry Division "Novara" and that division's units. The new Sforzesca division was based in Divača, Sežana and Ilirska Bistrica along the border between Italy and Yugoslavia, where it performed anti-partisan duties. On 9 July 1943, the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was in Divača, where the regiment replaced the flag of the 157th Artillery Regiment "Novara" with its own flag, that the regiment's survivors had brought back from the Soviet Union.

For its conduct and sacrifice during Operation Little Saturn the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was awarded its third Silver Medal of Military Valor, which was affixed to the regiment's flag.

In the evening of 8 September 1943, the Armistice of Cassibile, which ended hostilities between the Kingdom of Italy and the Anglo-American Allies, was announced by General Dwight D. Eisenhower on Radio Algiers and by Marshal Pietro Badoglio on Italian radio. Germany reacted by invading Italy and the 17th Artillery Regiment "Sforzesca" was soon thereafter disbanded by German forces near Florence.

Cold War On 1 January 1947, the Italian Army reformed the regiment as 17th Field Artillery Regiment in Novara, with the personnel and materiel of the III and IV groups of the 7th Field Artillery Regiment. The reformed regiment was assigned to the Infantry Division "Cremona" and consisted of a command, a command unit, and two groups with British QF 25-pounder field guns. In August of the same year, the regiment formed the III Group with QF 25-pounder field guns.

On 1 January 1951, the Infantry Division "Cremona" included the following artillery regiments:

Infantry Division "Cremona", in Turin 7th Field Artillery Regiment, in Turin 17th Field Artillery Regiment, in Novara 52nd Anti-tank Field Artillery Regiment, in Acqui 1st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, in Albenga

On 1 July 1951, the 1st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment was reorganized as 1st Heavy Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and transferred its II Light Anti-aircraft Group with 40/56 autocannons to the 17th Field Artillery Regiment, which renumbered the group as IV Group. On 1 September of the same year, the III Group with QF 25-pounder field guns was disbanded.